Wednesday, August 31, 2011

kristy and austin: july 8, 2011

To Kristy and Austin, and their families and friends . . . thank you for giving me the opportunity to photograph you all in such an amazingly beautiful location - for being warm, kind, generous, and making me feel welcome and included in your beautiful day!

Kristy and Austin are a darling couple from Livingston, Montana, who had me to Kristy's grandmother's drop-dead-gorgeous ranch on their wedding day . . . the flowers were designed and put together by the lovely Leslie Lukas, and the event was planned and decorated by the lovely Angela Klotz. The weather was a bit iffy, and we had a classic Livingston-wind on the hillside, but it can only provide for such classic, candid photo opportunities like this beautiful bride worked for me:

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Kristy's family also lives in Miami, and they brought their beloved hair stylists with to work magic on these lovely ladies . . . take it from me, when you find a good hair stylist, you make sure they travel ;)

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I truly love this photograph of the entire wedding party . . . so many different dynamics are happening here!

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A few portraits of the beautiful couple . . .

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Kristy, you are simply stunning!

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And a little gathering of some beautiful details!

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This beautiful event deserves credit! : )

Event Planning and Design: Fresh Designs
Floral Design: Leslie Lukas Weddings & Events
Catering: Zac's Montana Kitchen

Photos are of course way more fun with a little music, so click here to enjoy the slideshow!

Saturday, August 20, 2011

it's all about the light . . .

Oh, Montana . . . you beautiful state with your beautiful mountains, scenery, perfectly-placed trees, wildflowers, and big, blue skies - but to a wedding photographer, thank you for your beautiful light . . .

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I sit here on a Saturday night, at 11:00 pm, and I am so extremely grateful for all of my amazing couples this season . . . next week I head to Wyoming to photograph the pre-wedding festivities of a destination couple from the south, but sitting here right now, I am completely done with my summertime weddings - I look forward to sharing so many weddings, tips, stories, photographs, and connections with you on this blog! Stay tuned for lots and lots of amazing-ness!

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

tedi and danny are married!

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I'm sure I've said this a thousand times before on this blog, but when I show up at a wedding, I truly have no idea what to expect . . . especially when I have never met the couple! Danny and Tedi were so fabulous - their families and friends were wonderful, so friendly and enjoyable, and beautifully emotional at all the right times. Oh, and have I mentioned how amazing the light was?!

Some prettiness before the ceremony begins . . . the wedding was held at the Meadowlark Country Club in Great Falls:

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I saw the boys first . . . they were quite handsome and animated, which always sets the mood for a fabulous evening!

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And I'm pretty sure Tedi's just about the cutest thing in the world - and she's about to become a dentist! Sorry, boys! She's taken!

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It is not very often I get this view during the ceremony, but there were enough things to keep me moving like a ninja that I was able to photograph the wedding backlit for much of the ceremony . . . ahh!

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Married!

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Danny and Tedi, thank you for a beautiful evening! Click here to view more photos in a slideshow!

get inspired!

For my 100th blog post on this lovely little blog of mine, I wanted to share some of my favorite bouquets and ideas . . . go get inspired in planning for 2012!

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The beautiful designers behind these ideas, color palettes and flowers:

(From left to right, top row first)
Photos 1, 4 and 7: Icing on the Cake Events
Photos 2, 5 and 9: Fresh Designs
Photos 3, 6, 11, 12, 14 and 15: Leslie Lukas Weddings & Events
Photos 8 and 10: Bloom

Friday, August 12, 2011

coming soon . . .

I cannot believe that summer is winding down . . . it seems it just started! And there is still so much to blog! This time of year gets a little hectic while we all scramble to wrap up post-production while trying to scheme up brilliant marketing plans for next year's season . . . so here is a little sneak peek of what's coming on my blog until the posts officially arrive!

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Friday, August 5, 2011

what's your style?

A very famous What-To-Ask-Your-Photographer question during an initial potential client meeting is always an interesting one for me to answer . . . Describe your style. Well, I talk a lot. And I think out loud, so I say a lot of stuff that no one else really needs to hear, and I say things that don't even contribute to the conversation whatsoever . . . and then I laugh, and say I'm probably talking too much!, and the potential clients say politely, no, you're fine. But, really, what's your style?

And just to get even wordier, I explain that my style is a good mix of photojournalistic - a phrase most of us know now, and even seek out when searching for a photographer - and editorial. We are searching not just for someone who can give us beautiful portraits to hang on the walls, but also beautiful candids that make our hearts flutter a bit, because such a wonderful, personal moment was captured, when no one was looking.

As an example (I'm getting too wordy again!), here are a few images I would consider photojournalistic. And a very important thing here is that these were all taken during the portrait session of the day. Even when I pose people, I always tell them that some of the best photos are of what is happening in between poses, and it happens when they have their natural reaction to what I am asking them to do. In other words, here are some of my clients laughing at me. : )

Chad and Michelle at Rainbow Ranch:

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Leanne and Brian at The Woodlands:

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Jennie and Randy at The Story Mansion:

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And Nicole and Alex at Chico Hot Springs:

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Editorial always needs a bit more explanation. I'm not sure where I decided to start using that term to describe these types of photos, but this style, to me, is about making my couple look and feel - dare I say it? - sexy. It was one of my most memorable comments ever from a couple . . . that no one else can give them images of them that way. They are beautiful, posed images that engage my couples with one another for just a moody, romantic look that reminds you how much you love one another.

Jennifer and Eric at Grassy Mountain Cabins:

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Brooke and Brendan at Whiteface Club & Resort:

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And Jamie and Bud on the Mayan Riviera, Mexico:

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I try and give equal amounts of both styles unless a client requests a different preference - and there are always plenty of posed, traditional portraits as well, as those are just as important (but not as fun to post on my blog ;)

Happy Friday!